Government

Willow Park is a Type A General Law City

Type A general law cities operate under the aldermanic form of government. The term “alderman” is often used interchangeably with the term city council, and the modern name of the board of aldermen is the city council. The size of the council is determined by whether the city is divided into wards.

In cities where there are no wards (which includes most Type A cities), the council is made up of the mayor and five councilmembers. If the city has been divided into wards, the council is made up of a mayor and two councilmembers from each ward. In either case, the mayor does not vote except in the case that his vote is needed to break a tie.

A quorum consists of a majority of councilmembers for general business and two-thirds of the council for a special or called meeting or a meeting concerning taxation. The mayor does not count toward a quorum in either case.

Type A city councilmembers have a two-year term of office unless a longer term of office is adopted under the Constitution. At each new governing body’s first meeting or as soon as possible, the council must elect one of its members to be the mayor pro tem for a term of one year. The mayor pro tem continues to vote, but fills in for the mayor if the mayor is unable to act.